With its many seaside resorts and state of the art wineries, it
is hard to believe that up until the 1930s Maremma was a disease-infested
swampland. The noble families preferred to live in the hills, which were set
back from the coastline, while their servants lived closer to the sea. In fact,
the emergence of Maremma as one of the world's leading wine production zones is
somewhat of an accident. The region owes its prominence to Mario Incisa della
Rocchetta. Inspired by the wines of Bordeaux, Incisa wanted to make a similar
wine on his own property. In 1944 he planted his first Cabernet vines and
subsequently began producing the wine known today as Sassicaia. Incredibly,
Incisa originally conceived of his wine for domestic consumption so the early
vintages were drunk exclusively at the estate. The first commercial release,
the 1968, was greeted with loud critical acclaim. Despite the early success of
Sassicaia it would take another 20 years and the arrival of other producers
such as Grattamacco and Tenuta dell'Ornellaia for the region to establish
itself as a source for world class wines. The rest, as they say, is history and
today the region's top wines are among the most coveted and expensive wines
being made in Italy.

Even with all the recent developments and construction that have
taken place, Maremma retains some of its Wild West aura. Compared to hillier
landscapes of Chianti Classico and Montalcino a first-time visitor is likely to
be struck by the vast expanses of land that meet the eye. The climate in
Maremma is also unique. Weather conditions are especially hot and dry, yet the
heat is tempered by the breezes that come in from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Within
that context, there are noticeable differences among the many microclimates
that are found in the various sub-zones. Although some disagreement exists as
to where the boundaries lie for the ?real' Maremma, for the sake of simplicity
and ease of discussion I have divided the various districts into upper and
lower Maremma.

In the upper Maremma production is concentrated around the
coastal areas of Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci, which are in the province of
Livorno. To the south of Bolgheri lies Suvereto and the valley known as the Val
di Cornia, a warmer microclimate often described as yielding wines of greater
power with perhaps slightly less elegance. One of the features of the coastal
regions is the dominance of international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah, all of which have proven to thrive, while the
climatic conditions are generally considered to be less favorable for
Sangiovese.

The lower Maremma is set slightly more inland. It is also hotter
and dryer than the coastal areas. Sangiovese plays a more central role in the
wines of these inland districts than it does on the coast, although Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Alicante (Grenache) are also found, most often in
blends with Sangiovese. The most exciting appellation is Morellino di Scansano,
which lies in the province of Grosseto. Morellino encompasses a variety of
Sangiovese-based wines that range from simpler, fresh versions, to full-bodied
supple wines packed with flavor as well as character. It is one of the best
value-priced wines in Italy today. In recent years Montecucco, which lies just
across the valley from the southernmost boundary of the Brunello di Montalcino
zone, has also emerged as a source for excellent Sangiovese-based wines.

As was the case in the rest of continental Europe, weather
conditions during the 2003 growing season were scorching hot and dry, which
posed a significant challenges in Maremma where conditions are normally on the
warm side. The harvest took place earlier than normal, in some cases by several
weeks. The question of phenolic ripeness (the ripeness of the skins, seeds and
stems as distinct from the maturation of sugars) was at the top of most
producers' minds when I visited the region. At high quality estates the sorting
process was especially rigorous as burnt grapes had to be removed. The grapes
that were in good condition yielded very concentrated juice, so production on
the whole is lower than normal. In general the 2003s are decidedly ripe in
style, but as is often the case, producers who were very selective made
outstanding wines. Most of the 2003s are characterized by varying degrees of
unripe, hard tannins but the best wines have enough fruit to provide some level
of balance. Although it is clearly an anomalous vintage the vast majority of
wines I tasted have improved dramatically over the last few months and many may
very well continue to show a positive evolution. I also found that as I left
bottles open for 12 to 24 hours most wines softened considerably.

Vintage 2004 presented a distinctly different set of conditions.
The weather was much more balanced and produced the fluctuation of temperatures
between day and night that is critical to achieve phenolic ripeness in the
grapes. Rainfall returned to more normal patterns. Stable weather during the
harvest gave producers the luxury of being able to pick parcels at the optimum
moment rather than being forced to harvest as happened in 2003 and again in
2005. The favorable conditions also allowed producers who make wines in a
super-ripe style to harvest fairly late. Because the vines had shut down in
2003 the ideal weather conditions in 2004 released much of the stored energy in
the plants, and they were especially productive. Vintage 2004 combines quantity
with quality, something many producers described as a hallmark of a great
vintage because it means full maturation was achieved across all levels of
vineyards. Indeed, it would be a gross understatement to say that producers are
universally ecstatic over the quality of their 2004s.

What makes 2004 a remarkable vintage is the overall consistency
of the wines. As is to be expected the region's top bottlings are outstanding
but readers should not ignore the entry level wines, or for those estates who
favor a Bordeaux-like model, the “second” wines, the best of which capture the
essence of the vintage. While prices for the most famous labels have
appreciated significantly in recent years there are still plenty of wines
available at more accessible prices. Many of the wines from up and coming
regions like Scansano, which often score between 87 and 89 points, will provide
much pleasure at the dinner table without breaking the bank.